[Biography] – Imam Muhammad Ibn Yazid Ibn Majah [273H]

Compiled, Translated and Annotated

Abu Hibbaan & Abu Khuzaimah Ansaari

First Published 2000

His Birth And LineageHe is Muhammad Ibn Yazeed Ibn Abdullaah Ibn Maajah al-Qazweenee, his kunyah was Abu Abdullaah. Yazeed is famous from Maajah who was the slave of Rabee’a. He was the scholar of hadeeth of Khurasaan.

He was born in 209H in Qazween.

His Search For KnowledgeHe became highly inclined and keen in seeking the knowledge of hadeeth due to which he travelled to the various cities. He visited Koofah, Rai, Basrah, Baghdaad, Hijaaz, Shaam andEgypt and far away countries.

His Teachers And Those He Narrated From

He learnt the knowledge of hadeeth from the students of Imaam Maalik and Imaam Laith Ibn Sa’ad

Muhammad Ibn Abdullaah Ibn Numair

Jabaarah Ibn Muflis

Ibraaheem Ibn Mundhir Hazaamee

Abdullaah Ibn Mu’awiyyah

Hishaam Ibn A’amaar

Muhammad Ibn Rameh

Dawood Ibn Rasheed

And many more…

His Students And Those Who Narrated From Him

Muhammad Ibn Eesaa Abharee

Abu Tayyib al-Baghdaadee

Abu Amr Ahmad Ibn Hakeem

Ishaaq Ibn Muhammad al-Qazweenee

Abul-Hasan Qattaan

Ibn Seebawiyyah

Suleimaan Ibn Yazeed Faamee

Ahmad Ibn Ibraaheem

Ahmad Ibn Rooh al-Baghdaadee

Alee Ibn Sa’eed al-Askaree

And many more…

His Works

Kitaab Sunan Ibn Maajah

Kitaab at-Tafseer. Haafidh Ibn Katheer said it was very detailed.

Kitaab at-Taareekh. Haafidh Ibn Katheer said this book on history included events from the time of the Companions (radi-Allaahu ‘anhum).

The Scholars Praise Of Imaam Ibn MaajahHaafidh Ibn Hajr said,

“One of the Imaams, Haafidh (preserver).”

Abu Ya’ala Khaleelee said,

“Highly trustworthy that is agreed upon, everyone was agreed, his statement was evidence. He was well acquainted with hadeeth in knowledge and memory was excellent.”

Haafidh Ibn Katheer said,

“The righteous and the scholar. He was well acquainted with ahaadeeth and was very firm in following the Sunnah in the principle issues as well as the subsidiary issues.”

His SunanImaam Ibn Maajah said,

“After completing my Sunan I presented it to Imaam Abu Zur’ah ar-Raazee. After consulting it he said, ‘I think if this reached the hands of the people then all the books of ahaadeeth before and the ones of this time will be in vain. There are possibly not even 30 ahaadeeth that have very weak chains.’”

Haafidh adh-Dhahabee said,

“Abu Abdullaah’s book (Sunan Ibn Maajah) is a very good book and if it did not include (some) very weak narrations it would have been great.”

According to Abul-Hasan Qattan, the student of Imaam Ibn Maajah, his Sunan has 1,500 chapters and approximately 4,000 ahaadeeth.

It has 4,341 ahaadeeth, from them 3,002 ahaadeeth have been transmitted in the five books of hadeeth. The remaining 1,339 are additional narrations.

His DeathHe died on the 22nd of Ramadhaan 273H. He was 64 years old. His brother Abu Bakr led the funeral prayer. His other brother Abu Abdullaah and Imaam Ibn Maajah’s son Abdullaah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Yazeed buried him